“It’s
idolatry, putting trust in weapons. And weapons are made like gods. … Weapons
are always false gods because they make money. It’s profiteering.”Sister Megan RiceA drifter, a 82 year-nun and a painter- contemporary
prophets

Bridget Mary's Response:Let us pray that the message of these contemporary prophets for peace and justice will wake up the conscience of all in our nation and world not only to weapons as false gods but to the sin of profiteering from the accumulation of nuclear weapons that could desroy our planet hundreds of times over. This is insanity. I thought we were getting rid of these huge stockpiles.

"The first millennium of Christianity was marked by the
paradigm of community. The Churches had relative autonomy regarding their own
rites: Orthodox, Coptic, Ambrosian from Milan, Mozarabic, from Spain, and
others. They venerated their own martyrs and confessors and had their own
theologies, as seen in the flourishing Christianity of North Africa with Saint
Augustine, Saint Cyprian and the lay theologian Tertullian. Those Churches
recognized each other, and even though a mostly juridical vision in Rome was
already appearing, the primacy of charity predominated .

The second millennium was characterized by the paradigm of
the Church as a perfect and hierarchical society: an absolutist monarchy
centered in the figure of the Pope as supreme head (cephalic), endowed with
unlimited powers and, most recently, with infallibility, when he makes
declarations as such in matters of faith and morality. The Pontifical State was
created, with an army, a financial system and legislation that included the
death penalty. A body of experts of the institution was created, the Roman
Curia, responsible for the world ecclesiastical administration. This
centralization produced the Romanization of all of Christianity. The
evangelization of Latin America, Asia and Africa was accomplished within a
process of colonial conquest of the world, and meant that the Roman model was
transplanted, practically annulling the embodiment of the local cultures. The
strict separation between the clergy and the lay was made official. The lay had
no power of decision, (in the first millennium the lay participated in the
election of bishops and even of the Pope), and were turned into childlike
non-entities, in law and fact.The palatial ways of the priests, bishops,
cardinals and popes were affirmed. The titles of power of the Roman emperors,
starting with those of Pope and Sumo Pontiff, were transferred to the bishop of
Rome. The cardinals, princes of the Church, dressed up as the high Renaissance
nobility, and so it has remained until now, scandalizing more than a few
Christians, who were used to seeing Jesus of Nazareth as poor, a man of the
people, persecuted, tortured and executed on the cross.

All indications are that this model of Church ended with the
resignation of Benedict XVI, the last Pope from this monarchical model, in the
tragic context of scandals that have touched the very heart of the credibility
of the Christian message.The election of Pope Francis, who comes «from the
end of the world», as he presented himself, from the periphery of Christianity,
from the Great South where 60% of Roman Catholics live, will inaugurate the
ecclesiastic paradigm of the Third Millennium: the Church as a vast network of
Christian communities, rooted in the various cultures, some more ancient than
the Western cultures, such as the Chinese, Indian and Japanese, the tribal
cultures of Africa and the communities of Latin America. It is also embodied in
the modern culture of the technologically advanced countries, with a faith that
is also lived out in small communities. All these incarnations have something in
common: the urbanization of humanity, where more than the 80% of the population
live in huge conglomerates of millions and millions of persons.In this
context, it will be impossible to talk of territorial parishes, but of
neighborhood communities, of the buildings, of the streets nearby. In that
Christianity, the lay will be protagonists, encouraged by priests who may or may
not be married, or by women priests or women bishops, bound more by spirituality
than administration. The Churches will have different faces.The Reformation
will not be restricted to the Roman curia, that is in a calamitous state, but
will be extended to the entire institution of the Church. Perhaps only by
convoking a new Council, with representatives from all of Christendom, will the
Pope have the security and the master lines of the Church of the Third
Millennium. May the Spirit not fail him."Leonardo <http://leonardoboff.com/> Boff04-05-2013

Contrary to Bishop Voderholzer's view, women were deacons in the bible. Check out Romans 16:1-3. Paul commends Deacon Phoebe as a leader, overseerer, of the church . However, the institutional church's post Vatican 11 recent tradition of permanent deacons is not the path to full equality for women or for men because it limits sacramental ministry to presiding at Baptism and Matrimony. The Roman Catholic Women Priests Movement offer a viable model the Vatican should be studying now. We are living a renewed priestly ministry in a community of equals that calls forth the gifts of the community and affirms their baptismal call as co-leaders in sacramental ministries. It is my hope that Pope Francis needs to focus on the full equality of women in every area of church life including ordination to deacons, priests and bishops. We need a Vatican 3 Council of the People of God! Bridget Mary Meehan, www.arcwp.org, sofiabmm@aol.com

The president of Germany's bishops' conference has called for the creation of
a new, specific office for women deacons.Archbishop Robert Zollitsch told delegates at a four-day conference in his
Freiburg archdiocese on church reform: "I will promote further in-depth study of
the common priesthood of all the faithful, encourage diversity as far as church
ministries and offices are concerned and I will do so based on the Church's
teaching. This will include promoting new church ministries and offices which
will be open to women as, for example, a specific deacon's office for
women."But a spokesman for Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich, whom Pope Francis has
appointed cardinal-adviser for Europe, said ordaining women deacons was "not on
the agenda".And Bishop Rudolf Voderholzer of Regensburg said the office of deacon was
inseparably bound to that of priest and bishop and the sacrament of ordination,
and the "tradition that only men can be ordained is based on the Bible".

Thursday, May 2, 2013

Today we rejoice because Rosemarie Smead will be ordained as
a Roman Catholic Woman Priest in the first ordination of a woman priest in Louisville,
Kentucky, in St. Andrew United Church of Christ. We are gathering at a new
moment of historical possibilities and challenges in our church.

We pray that Francis, the first Latin American
and first Jesuit pope, who washed the feet of young women and men in a juvenile
detention center, will usher in a new era of justice for all, especially for
those on the margins including women in our church. The news report that Pope Francis
plans to appoint more women to top positions in the Vatican is welcome, indeed!
There is certainly a long list of qualified women, including many nuns and
women priests, who are ready to serve in the renewal and reform of our church.

The Roman Catholic Women Priests Movement is a
justice movement. we claim equal rites to achieve equal rights in our church. We
live prophetic obedience to the spirit, who is calling women today to a renewed
priestly ministry in a community of equals. as a woman priest, Rosemarie is
leading, not leaving the catholic church into a new era of inclusivity, where
all are invited to feast at the banquet table of god’s boundless, abundant
love. As the Irish writer, James Joyce, reminded us, the word catholic means, “here
comes everybody!”

In Luke 13:10-13, Jesus encounters a woman in
the synagogue on the Sabbath who, for 18 years, has been crippled with a
condition that causes her to be bent over, incapable of standing up straight. When
Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “woman, you are free of your
infirmity.” he laid his hands on her, and immediately, she stood up straight
and began thanking God.

When the synagogue leader expressed outrage that
Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, Jesus called the religious leaders hypocrites,
and pointed out that this healing was for a daughter of Abraham and Sarah, who
had suffered for 18 years.So, there are
several take home messages here:

1) Jesus treated women as equals,

2) People have priority over rules and regulations.

3) Sexism in church and society is sinful and should always
be challenged.

4) Our compassionate god lifts up all women bent over by the
burden of patriarchy.

The good news is that the Spirit of God
continues to set us free today to live gospel equality and partnership.

The institutional church has tried to keep women
bent over when it refuses to recognize their call to the priesthood.No longer will we tolerate the Vatican’s
practice of sexism, which is rooted in the misogynist attitude of church
fathers like Tertullian who once said that women are the “gateway to the devil”
and Thomas Acquinas who defined woman as a “defective male.”

Now, in the 21st century, women are
silent and invisible and subordinate no more!If women priests were partners in decision-making in our church, there
would be some mighty big changes in church teachings like birth control!

According to a 2012 Newsweek interview with catholic
Melinda Gates, 100,000 women annually die in childbirth after unintended
pregnancies and six hundred thousand babies die in the first month of life. A
prolife church must value women’s health and well-being.

During her long professional life, Rosemarie has
worked tirelessly to model Jesus’ healing presence in the lives of women and
girls, and to teach the value of standing up for justice no matter what
challenges they encountered.

Maryknoll Roy Bourgeois, Franciscan Jerry Zawada,
jesuit Bill Brennan, Redemptorist Tony Flannery, the Irish Priests Association,
and the Austrian Priests’ Initiative have endured condemnation and punishment
by the Vatican for their solidarity with the women priests’ movement.but the hierarchy of the Catholic Church cannot
stop justice from rising up in the people of God!In a recent poll in the U.S. 70% of Catholics
support women’s ordination.

In her own words, Rosemarie shared this
inspiring testimony explaining why she chose today’s reading for her
ordination:“this gospel reflects Jesus
telling us to take heart from this woman, ignored and persecuted by the religious
leaders of her time. Be persistent, courageous, and keep your mind open to the
spirit of God, blowing the winds of change in our church.Be part of the movement forward in the
eternal dance of love, toward the kin-dom of the unity of us all.”

Our women priests start a new inclusive catholic
community in their home areas, that honors the gifts of God in the people of God,
bringing a renewal and reforming presence to enliven our beloved church.our women priests from Lexington, Janice Sevre-Duszynska
and Donna Rougeux, are assisting Rosemarie with this new church community
started here in Louisville.it is called
“Christ-Sophia Inclusive Catholic Community.”You are all warmly welcome to celebrate the sacraments as God’s
embracing extravagant love for all in our midst.

The bible uses feminine imagery to describe
God who is beyond all names and images. This is one of the church’s best-kept
secrets! The books of Wisdom and Proverbs
use feminine imagery to describe divine wisdom. the Greek word for wisdom is Sophia
and is always personified as a woman. Our first reading is from the book of
wisdom and refers to the holy one as she.The New Testatment identifies Christ with the wisdom of god.“…to those who are called… Christ is the
power and the wisdom of God.” (1 cor. 1:24)The connection in scripture is made between the crucified Jesus of Nazareth
and the Cosmic Risen Christ in Christ-Sophia.In this liturgy today we integrate this powerful image of Christ Sophia
in our prayer and song.Thanks to our
music director, Kathleen Rosenberg, for the beautiful musical mass of Christ Sophia
which she composed.

And now, i would like to share a brief overview
of the Roman Catholic Women Priests Movement. Roman Catholic Women Priests are
ordained in apostolic succession because a male bishop with apostolic
succession and in communion with the pope ordained our first bishops!

In 2002, 7 women were ordained on the Danube.In 2006, 12 women were ordained in the first U.S.
ordination in Pittsburgh.Now there are
approximately 150 in our movement in Europe, U.S. Canada, and Latin America. As
part of an international initiative of the Roman Catholic Women Priests
movement, the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests claims equality as a
human right.Our vision is justice for
all, justice for the poor, justice for women, and justice for women in the
church including ordination.

I believe that on a deep spiritual, mystical
level women priests are beginning a healing process of centuries-old deep
misogyny in which spiritual power was invested exclusively in men.For some, like the Catholic hierarchy, women
priests are a spiritual uprising.For
millions of people, the time has come for a holy shakeup that will bring new
life, creativity and justice to the church and beyond.Let us pray that Pope Francis will join this
holy shakeup!

Amen, Rosemarie, to rocking the boat of Peter
and walking on water with Christ! i guarantee that you are in for quite a
spiritual adventure! Like the woman who was healed in the gospel, we are set
free to work for justice and to live gospel equality and partnership now!

###

Bridget Mary Meehan, D.Min.,
a Sister for Christian Community, was ordained a Roman Catholic priest in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania on july 31, 2006. She was ordained a bishop on April 19, 2009. Dr.
Meehan is currently dean of the Doctor of Ministry program for Global Ministries
University, and is the author of 20 books, including Living Gospel Equality Now:
Loving in the Heart of God, the Healing Power of Prayer, and Praying with Women
of the Bible.She presides at liturgies
in Mary, Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community in Sarasota, Florida, and
celebrates liturgies with groups in Northern Virginia.Dr. Meehan can be reached at sofiabmm@aol.com and www.arcwp.org

Today we rejoice because Rosemarie
Smead will be ordained as a Roman Catholic Woman Priest in the first ordination
of a woman priest in Louisville, Kentucky, in St. Andrew United Church of Christ.
We are gathering at a new moment of historical possibilities and challenges in
our church.

We
pray that Francis, the first Latin American and first Jesuit pope, who washed
the feet of young women and men in a juvenile detention center, will usher in a
new era of justice for all, especially for those on the margins including women
in our church. The news report that Pope Francis plans to appoint more women to
top positions in the Vatican is welcome, indeed! There is certainly a long list
of qualified women, including many nuns and women priests, who are ready to
serve in the renewal and reform of our church.

The
Roman Catholic Women Priests Movement is a justice movement. we claim equal
rites to achieve equal rights in our church. We live prophetic obedience to the
spirit, who is calling women today to a renewed priestly ministry in a
community of equals. as a woman priest, Rosemarie is leading, not leaving the
catholic church into a new era of inclusivity, where all are invited to feast
at the banquet table of god’s boundless, abundant love. As the Irish writer, James
Joyce, reminded us, the word catholic means, “here comes everybody!”

In
Luke 13:10-13, Jesus encounters a woman in the synagogue on the Sabbath who,
for 18 years, has been crippled with a condition that causes her to be bent
over, incapable of standing up straight. When Jesus saw her, he called her over
and said, “woman, you are free of your
infirmity.” he laid his hands on her, and immediately, she stood up
straight and began thanking God.

When
the synagogue leader expressed outrage that Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, Jesus
called the religious leaders hypocrites, and pointed out that this healing was
for a daughter of Abraham and Sarah, who had suffered for 18 years.So, there are several take home messages
here:

1) Jesus treated women as equals,

2) People have priority over rules and
regulations.

3) Sexism in church and society is sinful
and should always be challenged.

4) Our compassionate god lifts up all women
bent over by the burden of patriarchy.

The good news is that the Spirit of God continues to set us
free today to live gospel equality and partnership.

The
institutional church has tried to keep women bent over when it refuses to
recognize their call to the priesthood.No
longer will we tolerate the Vatican’s practice of sexism, which is rooted in
the misogynist attitude of church fathers like Tertullian who once said that
women are the “gateway to the devil” and Thomas Acquinas who defined woman as a
“defective male.”

Now,
in the 21st century, women are silent and invisible and subordinate
no more!If women priests were partners
in decision-making in our church, there would be some mighty big changes in
church teachings like birth control!

According
to a 2012 Newsweek interview with catholic
Melinda Gates, 100,000 women annually die in childbirth after unintended
pregnancies and six hundred thousand babies die in the first month of life. A
prolife church must value women’s health and well-being.

During
her long professional life, Rosemarie has worked tirelessly to model Jesus’
healing presence in the lives of women and girls, and to teach the value of
standing up for justice no matter what challenges they encountered.

Maryknoll
Roy Bourgeois, Franciscan Jerry Zawada, jesuit Bill Brennan, Redemptorist Tony Flannery,
the Irish Priests Association, and the Austrian Priests’ Initiative have
endured condemnation and punishment by the Vatican for their solidarity with
the women priests’ movement.but the
hierarchy of the Catholic Church cannot stop justice from rising up in the
people of God!In a recent poll in the U.S.
70% of Catholics support women’s ordination.

In
her own words, Rosemarie shared this inspiring testimony explaining why she
chose today’s reading for her ordination:“this gospel reflects Jesus telling us to take heart from this woman,
ignored and persecuted by the religious leaders of her time. Be persistent,
courageous, and keep your mind open to the spirit of God, blowing the winds of
change in our church.Be part of the
movement forward in the eternal dance of love, toward the kin-dom of the unity
of us all.”

Our
women priests start a new inclusive catholic community in their home areas,
that honors the gifts of God in the people of God, bringing a renewal and reforming
presence to enliven our beloved church.our women priests from Lexington, Janice Sevre-Duszynska and Donna Rougeux,
are assisting Rosemarie with this new church community started here in Louisville.it is called “Christ-Sophia Inclusive Catholic
Community.”You are all warmly welcome to
celebrate the sacraments as God’s embracing extravagant love for all in our
midst.

The bible uses feminine imagery to describe
God who is beyond all names and images. This is one of the church’s best-kept
secrets! The books of Wisdom and Proverbs
use feminine imagery to describe divine wisdom. the Greek word for wisdom is Sophia
and is always personified as a woman. Our first reading is from the book of
wisdom and refers to the holy one as she.The New Testatment identifies Christ with the wisdom of god.“…to those who are called… Christ is the
power and the wisdom of God.” (1 cor. 1:24)The connection in scripture is made between the crucified Jesus of Nazareth
and the Cosmic Risen Christ in Christ-Sophia.In this liturgy today we integrate this powerful image of Christ Sophia
in our prayer and song.Thanks to our
music director, Kathleen Rosenberg, for the beautiful musical mass of Christ Sophia
which she composed.

And
now, i would like to share a brief overview of the Roman Catholic Women Priests
Movement. Roman Catholic Women Priests are ordained in apostolic succession
because a male bishop with apostolic succession and in communion with the pope
ordained our first bishops!

In
2002, 7 women were ordained on the Danube.In 2006, 12 women were ordained in the first U.S. ordination in Pittsburgh.Now there are approximately 150 in our
movement in Europe, U.S. Canada, and Latin America. As part of an international
initiative of the Roman Catholic Women Priests movement, the Association of Roman
Catholic Women Priests claims equality as a human right.Our vision is justice for all, justice for
the poor, justice for women, and justice for women in the church including
ordination.

I
believe that on a deep spiritual, mystical level women priests are beginning a
healing process of centuries-old deep misogyny in which spiritual power was
invested exclusively in men.For some,
like the Catholic hierarchy, women priests are a spiritual uprising.For millions of people, the time has come for
a holy shakeup that will bring new life, creativity and justice to the church
and beyond.Let us pray that Pope Francis
will join this holy shakeup!

Amen,
Rosemarie, to rocking the boat of Peter and walking on water with Christ! i
guarantee that you are in for quite a spiritual adventure! Like the woman who
was healed in the gospel, we are set free to work for justice and to live
gospel equality and partnership now!

###

Bridget Mary Meehan, D.Min., a Sister for Christian
Community, was ordained a Roman Catholic priest in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on
july 31, 2006. She was ordained a bishop on April 19, 2009. Dr. Meehan is
currently dean of the Doctor of Ministry program for Global Ministries University,
and is the author of 20 books, including Living
Gospel Equality Now: Loving in the Heart of God, the Healing Power of Prayer,
and Praying with Women of the Bible.She presides at liturgies in Mary, Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community
in Sarasota, Florida, and celebrates liturgies with groups in Northern Virginia.Dr. Meehan can be reached at sofiabmm@aol.com and www.arcwp.org

“It’s idolatry, putting trust in weapons. And weapons are made like gods. … Weapons are always false gods because they make money. It’s profiteering.”Sister Megan RiceA drifter, a 82 year-nun and a painter- contemporary prophets

In defiance of Roman Catholic authority and doctrine, the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests ordained its first Louisville-area priest on Saturday.Rosemarie Smead of Bedford, Ky., a retired Indiana University Southeast counselor-education professor, was ordained during the two-hour service hosted by a bishop of the movement, Bridget Mary Meehan.Several other women priests in the movement, in white robes and red stoles, gathered from around the country to participate in a ceremony patterned on traditional Catholic ordination liturgy but suffused with feminist imagery. About 200 people attended the service at St. Andrew United Church of Christ, most of them coming forward to lay hands on Smead in blessing.The Vatican has stated that as a matter of unchangeable doctrine, the Roman Catholic Church must follow the example of Jesus, who appointed only men as his apostles.It says anyone who participates in a ceremony purporting to ordain a woman is automatically excommunicated. Louisville Archbishop Joseph Kurtz reiterated that stance in a statement saying the association has no connection to the Roman Catholic Church and that Catholics should not support or participate in Saturday’s event.Janice Sevre-Duszynska of Lexington, Ky., a priest in the women’s ordination movement, gave opening remarks Saturday, saying there is archaeological and documentary evidence that the early church ordained women — interpretations that have been disputed by supporters of male-only ordination.Meehan said the decade-old Women Priest movement is an act of justice defying what she called an unjust Vatican law. She said the movement’s bishops were ordained by an unidentified bishop in communion with Rome.“Sexism in church and society is sinful and should always be challenged,” Meehan said. She said if women were in Catholic leadership, the church’s position against artificial birth control would be lifted.The liturgy included invocations to numerous female Catholic saints, to God as mother and father and to “Christ-Sophia,” invoking a biblical term for divine wisdom that service leaders said reflects the feminine aspect of God.After a series of solemn ordination vows, Smead prostrated herself before the altar for several minutes during quiet music and prayer. Participants presented Smead with ceremonial vestments of priestly ministry, and Meehan anointed her hands with oil.“You’re in for quite a spiritual adventure,” Meehan told Smead.“It’s just so overwhelming,” Smead said afterward. Smead, who previously lived as a cloistered nun, marched for civil rights and worked for years with troubled youth in Alabama before a quarter-century career at IUS, said the ordination “just raised up 70 years of longing in me to be able to fulfill this.”Two of Smead’s former IUS students gave testimonials during the ordination, lauding her for providing career and personal guidance, and a niece, nephew and in-law of Smead read Scriptures.The Rev. Jimmy Watson, pastor of St. Andrew, said the church agreed to host the service after considering a passage in the book of Acts in which the apostle Peter was told by God to bring the gospel to Gentiles.“I knew there would be some pressure not to do something so illegal,” Watson said. “… We decided that we could not stand in God’s way.”

Kentucky woman ordained as priest by dissident Roman Catholics

John Sommers / Reuters

Ordaining Bishop Bridget Mary Meehan (C) presents Rosemarie Smead (R), a 70-year-old Kentucky woman, to the audience after she was ordained as a Roman Catholic priest during a Celebration of Ordination at St. Andrew's United Church of Christ in Louisville, Kentucky April 27, 2013.

By Sofia Perpetua, NBC News

A dissident Roman Catholic group ordained a 70-year-old woman a priest in Louisville, Kentucky, during a ceremony attended by hundreds on Saturday.About 150 women from all over the world have been ordained in defiance of the Roman Catholic Church that bans them from becoming priests.Rosemarie Smead will be starting her own congregation and she told Reuters she is not worried about being excommunicated."It is a medieval bullying stick the bishops used to keep control over people and to keep the voices of women silent,” she said. “I am way beyond letting octogenarian men tell us how to live our lives."Smead, a former Carmelite nun with a bachelor's in theology and a doctorate in counseling psychology, wept throughout the ceremony.According to a recent New York Times/CBS News poll, seventy percent of U.S. Catholics believe women should be allowed to be priests.In a statement last week, Louisville Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz called the planned ceremony by the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests a "simulated ordination" in opposition to Catholic teaching."The simulation of a sacrament carries very serious penal sanctions in Church law, and Catholics should not support or participate in Saturday's event," Kurtz said.Reuters contributed to this story

2 hours ago – A dissident Roman Catholic group ordained a 70-year-old woman a priest in ... Kentucky woman ordained as priest by dissident Roman Catholics ... and she told Reuters she is not worried about being excommunicated.

Kentucky woman ordained as priest in defiance of Roman Catholic Church

REUTERS

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — In an emotional ceremony filled with tears and applause, a 70-year-old Kentucky woman was ordained a priest today as part of a dissident group operating outside of official Roman Catholic Church authority.Rosemarie Smead is one of about 150 women around the world who have decided not to wait for the Roman Catholic Church to lift its ban on women priests, but to be ordained and start their own congregations.In an interview before the ceremony, Smead said she is not worried about being excommunicated from the Church — the fate of other women ordained outside of Vatican law.“It has no sting for me,” said Smead, a petite, gray-haired former Carmelite nun with a ready hug for strangers. “It is a Medieval bullying stick the bishops used to keep control over people and to keep the voices of women silent. I am way beyond letting octogenarian men tell us how to live our lives.”The ordination of women as priests, along with the issues of married priests and birth control, represents one of the big divides between U.S. Catholics and the Vatican hierarchy. Seventy percent of U.S. Catholics believe that women should be allowed to be priests, according to a New York Times/CBS News poll earlier this year.The former pope, Benedict XVI, reaffirmed the Catholic Church’s ban on women priests and warned that he would not tolerate disobedience by clerics on fundamental teachings. Male priests have been stripped of their holy orders for participating in ordination ceremonies for women.In a statement last week, Louisville Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz called the planned ceremony by the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests a “simulated ordination” in opposition to Catholic teaching.“The simulation of a sacrament carries very serious penal sanctions in Church law, and Catholics should not support or participate in today’s event,” Kurtz said.The Catholic Church teaches that it has no authority to allow women to be priests because Jesus Christ chose only men as his apostles. Proponents of a female priesthood said Jesus was acting only according to the customs of his time.They also note that he chose women, like Mary Magdalene, as disciples, and that the early Church had women priests, deacons and bishops.The ceremony, held at St. Andrew United Church of Christ in Louisville, was attended by about 200 men and women. Many identified themselves to a Reuters reporter as Catholics, but some declined to give their names or their churches.’NEW ERA OF INCLUSIVITY’The modern woman priest movement started in Austria in 2002, when seven women were ordained by the Danube River by an independent Catholic bishop. Other women were later ordained as bishops, who went on to ordain more women priests and deacons.“As a woman priest, Rosemarie is leading, not leaving the Catholic Church, into a new era of inclusivity,” said Bishop Bridget Mary Meehan during her sermon today. “As the Irish writer James Joyce reminded us, the word ’Catholic’ means ’Here comes everybody!” ’Smead had to leave the rigorous Carmelite life due to health reasons, and earned a bachelor’s degree in theology and a doctorate in counseling psychology. She taught at Indiana University for 26 years, and works as a couples and family therapist.During the ordination ceremony, Smead wept openly as nearly everyone in the audience came up and laid their hands on her head in blessing. Some whispered, “Thanks for doing this for us.”During the communion service, Smead and other woman priests lifted the plates and cups containing the sacramental bread and wine to bless them.A woman in the audience murmured, “Girl, lift those plates. I’ve been waiting a long time for this.”One of those attending the service was Stewart Pawley, 32, of Louisville, who said he was raised Catholic and now only attends on Christmas and Easter. But he said he would attend services with Smead when she starts to offer them in Louisville.“People like me know it’s something the Catholic Church will have to do,” said Pawley.